Set tithe amounts are not required

Bob Meger's recent letter left me with a sense of sadness. Obviously, he is a man in dire straits and doesn't deserve the flippant, insensitive remark he received from his pastor.

Unfortunately, we are seeing too many of this sort of man in the church today. They are no longer shepherds but "administrators" bent on keeping the financial wheels of the church well greased.

Tithing goes far back in the Old Testament with different variations of its meaning throughout the ages.

But since the beginning of Christianity and the establishment of the Catholic faith, a set amount has never been required by the church.

The church has always left that to the individual and his conscience. If a man has more, he gives more. If he has less, he gives less.

This tithing issue he speaks of has only been instituted in recent years. Most Catholics have ignored it and continued to pay what they can comfortably afford.

Let's face it, the church is very well off, witness the vast amounts of settlement paid by church authorities throughout the country to settle priest pedophilia cases.

The parable of the Widow's Mite in Mark 12:42-44 clearly shows Christ's admiration for those who give what they can, and not the value of the amount.

R.P. Harrison

Elk Grove Village